Intercultural mission advice
Intercultural mission advice (of the Bundeswehr ) is a unit of the Center for Operative Communication of the Bundeswehr . It essentially deals with the diverse conditions within the areas of operation of the Bundeswehr in order to advise the German commander and to contribute to the protection of one's own forces and the fulfillment of the mission.
The core task of Intercultural Mission Advice (IEB) is to advise military decision-makers on complex relationships in the deployment area, which are largely determined by cultural, religious, ethnic, historical and social factors. The IEB supports the commander / contingent leader (user) by penetrating this opaque situation and making it clear and differentiated for the user and his staff. Due to the high frequency of the environment in the operational area, which is necessary for this, the IEB maintains a diverse network of relevant and influential people in order to be able to influence these actors in the interests of the user.
The IEB perceives (sensor), acts (effector) and advises (advisor) the commander and contingent leader with the knowledge it has gained in:
- Afghanistan: Resolute Support
- Kosovo: KFOR
- Mali: EUTM / MINUSMA
- Iraq: Training Support
- Mediterranean: EUNAVFOR MED Operation Sophia
In basic operations, IEBs support associations, units and facilities of the Bundeswehr at all levels with preliminary operational training.
The Bundeswehr Intercultural Mission Advisors are, regardless of whether they are employed in Germany as a soldier or as a civilian employee in the Bundeswehr, always a soldier on deployment abroad, and are trained in preparation for this. This requires the safe handling of military equipment and weapons.
Tasks in action
- Advising and, if necessary, accompanying military decision-makers in the context of communication and interaction with the local population in the operational area
- Identifying and evaluating local, ethnic, religious, political and other socio-cultural structures
- Develop and maintain contacts to relevant multipliers in the area of operation
- Use of existing contacts to support the Bundeswehr mission in the operational area
- Support in the mediation of culture-related conflicts
- Preparation of contributions to assessing the situation in the operational area
- Support the troops with further training measures in the intercultural area
Tasks in Germany
- Exchange of information with other military and civil services
- Provision of information to support intercultural operational consultants in action
- Evaluation, maintenance and archiving of knowledge gained in the field
- Support in the training and further education of intercultural mission advisors
- Advising the commanders as part of the preparation for their deployment
- Participation in the expert network for intercultural competence of the Bundeswehr
Prerequisites for the Intercultural Mission Adviser Bundeswehr
- German citizenship
- University degree with a regional or cultural studies focus or humanities studies combined with practical regional experience
- In-depth, comprehensible knowledge and / or extensive experience in the respective cultural area
- Pronounced social, communicative and intellectual competence
- Independent, result-oriented and proactive way of working
- Convincing and competent appearance
- Good language skills in German and English
- Knowledge of the national languages of the respective application area
- High level of physical, psychological and mental resilience
- Willingness to stay abroad for longer periods in crisis areas